Ng'arua Maarifa Centre was established by ALIN, to be used by the rural communities to access; free internet, E-government services, multimedia content, online market information, publications and library, advisory services and ICT trainings.

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Monday, August 10, 2015

Farmers recount field day experiences

By Bob Aston

Farmer field days usually lead to
mutual knowledge increase, due to practical demonstrations. They have been
helpful in enhancing knowledge sharing between farmers.

A farmer field day organized by Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) on
August 4, 2015 at Peter Mwaniki’s farm near Sipili Catholic Church, in Ol-Moran
Ward of Laikipia West Sub County is one such forum that provided farmers with
an opportunity to learn about the difference between conservation and
conventional agriculture.

Farmer learning about fertilizer use

Farmers were able to interact, share
information, and learn best agricultural practices from each other.

An excited Samuel Nyaga narrated how
he learned about BELSAP, a product exhibited by Bell Industries Ltd. The super
absorbent polymer (SAP) reduces water usage by maximizing rainfall benefits and
reducing frequency of irrigation schedules.

He learned that the product is
important in Laikipia County, as it is an arid area. BELSAP is important in
utilization of water and fertilizer to enable seedlings and crops
establishment.

He managed to exchange contacts with
Bell Industries Ltd official and now plans to start using the product. He
reckons that as BELSAP increases water holding capacity, drainage, and aeration
in soils he will no longer spend a lot of time irrigating his crops.

“I learned that BELSAP promotes root
growth resulting in larger, healthier plants and faster growth. The fact that
it allows plants growth in extremely hot and dry climates is also a boost due
to the effect of climate change,” says Nyaga.

On her part, Margaret Mwangi has been
practicing conservation agriculture for more than a year now. Use of rippers fascinates
her although the cost is normally high. She expects that next season she will
be able to use a ripper in her farm.

Agriculture officer training farmers on Maize Lethal Necrosis Disease

She managed to learn that ripping
breaks up compacted soil layers which results into plant roots growing faster
and deeper thereby increasing soil water storage as well as nutrients access.

She said that soil compaction is a problem
in her farm and she intends to resolve this by using a ripper. She expects that
improved drainage through use of a ripper will help mitigate the effect of
climate change.

“I learned that ripping improves soil
aeration which helps in breaking down organic matter and also provides plant
roots with plenty of oxygen. Despite the cost, I will have to use the
technology next season. I have been informed that I will be able to realize
better returns,” said Mwangi.

Similarly, Esther Njeri has been
using conventional agriculture but is about to embrace conservation
agriculture. She noted that the former has become expensive as cost of labour
is now high and at times even finding labour is difficult.

She concurs that time for embracing
Climate Smart Agriculture technologies has reached. As a smallholder farmer,
she believes that she will now be able to improve her maize production once she
applies the knowledge acquired during the field day.

She noted that after visiting many
farmers she had concluded that those who had adopted conservation agriculture
received higher returns last season compared to those who used conventional
agriculture.

“Last season I realized very low
returns while my friends who adopted conservation agriculture managed to
harvest more bags than me. Next season I will have to do better. The field day
opened by eyes to the need of agribusiness,” said Esther.

Farmers being trained on PICS bag use

On his part, Johanna Kiarie was
particularly impressed by Purdue Improved Crop Storage (PICS) bags. PICS bag is
a viable management tool for preventing aflatoxin accumulation in storage. He
learned that the bags minimize cost of storage as well as reducing post-harvest
grain losses.

He said that the insecticide-free,
low cost method of storing cereals is an effective way of storage for most
smallholder farmers.

“I was impressed by the fact that the
quality of grains stored in PICS bags does not decline and grains can be stored
for more than a year. I will have to buy at least five bags,” said Johanna.

According to Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, conservation agriculture is a
concept of “resource-saving agricultural crop production that strives to
achieve acceptable profits together with high and sustained production levels
while concurrently conserving the environment.”

ALIN has been involved in knowledge
sharing for more than 22 years now, using various platforms that include the
use of video documentations, exchange visits, open learning days, and articles
aimed at farmers and pastoralists. These experiences have helped farmers to
access knowledge and information, which have helped to empower and uplift their
livelihood.

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